MICROBUSINESS: DOING YOUR OWN GOOD WORK

Lloyd Lemons

Just what is a microBusiness?

Here’s my stab at a simple definition. “A microBusiness (mBiz) is the smallest of all businesses, created by a self-reliant person (who often considers herself a survivor), for the purpose of making a living and making a life, and whose goal is not necessarily wealth and worldly goods, but rather a sustainable enterprise that can provide for the comfortable wellbeing of the owner and her family.”

We are the smallest of small, but we are an incredibly important part of the American economic landscape. It is estimated that there are more than 24 million microBusinesses in the U.S., representing 18% of all private employment and 87% of all businesses. Historically, microenterprises have been considered the backbone of the U.S. economy.

I’ve been an mBiz owner for nearly my entire working life—and for me, there’s nothing better. If you’re a creative person, or a self-reliant worker, chances are you’re a microBusiness owner, or want to be. If you’re going to be successful at it, you have to enjoy what you’re doing, and believe that what you’re doing is authentic and worthwhile. Following are eight ideas that I believe are essential to a sustainable mBiz. I hope you’ll agree.

What a microBusiness should be about

1. It should be about bending the world a little to fit your purpose, by doing something you truly enjoy.
2. It should be about creating your own radical expression of individuality.
3. It's about being a catalyst for your own ideas, and not a facilitator for someone else’s.
4. It’s about personal freedom, largely brought about by the integration of working and living.
5. It’s about having the freedom to pursue possibilities.
6. It’s about spending your time representing things that you truly care about.
7. It’s about unlimited learning potential in an unobstructed environment.
8. It's about living your life purposefully, charting your own course, and achieving success measured by your level of contentment.

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Lloyd Lemons lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife of 32 years, Diane. He’s had many jobs in his life ranging from corporate marketing director to lemonade stand proprietor. Today he is a writer, copywriter, photographer, marketing consultant, and creative collaborator. He’s been a soloist for 25-years. He’s currently writing a book on the art of the microBusiness. To keep his head clear, and to germinate new ideas, he spends his free time as an endurance cyclist. Please visit his website “A Lifetime of microBusiness” at www.lloydlemons.com/mBiz, or contact him personally at: Lloyd@lloydlemons.com